A recent study conducted by a team at Connecticut College in New London found that Oreo cookies were as addictive as cocaine, the LA Times reported. In the study, rats were fed with rice cakes on one end and Oreos on the other. The researchers then compared their results with that of previous tests done on rats. In that test, the rats were shot with morphine or cocaine on one hand and saline on the other.

Research team leader Joseph Schroeder told the Connecticut College News, "Our research supports the theory that high-fat/high-sugar foods stimulate the brain in the same way that drugs do. It may explain why some people can't resist these foods despite the fact that they know they are bad for them."

Mondelez International is the company that makes Oreo cookies. It also manufactures Cadbury chocolates, Ritz crackers and Chiclets, among others. It split from Kraft Foods last year. In the first quarter of this year, Mondelez's organic sales rose to 3.8%. However, its earnings dipped. For the three months that ended in March this year, Mondelez posted earnings of USD 568 million compared to the USD 813 million it posted in the same period last year when it was still with Kraft Foods.